The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Cambridge Community
The Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.
We continue our series with State’s Attorney Republican candidates Molly W. Fox, Amanda Rae Leonard, and Kenneth E. Thalheimer.
The Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.
We continue our series with Republican candidates Addie Eckardt and Johnny Mautz running for Senate District 37.
This video is approximately 80 minutes in length.
The Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.
We continue our series with candidates running for Dorchester County Board of Education.
This video is approximately 90 minutes in length
The MD Youth Unity thought that the best way to honor Juneteenth in Cambridge was to recognize, restore and celebrate the now historic BLM mural on Race Street. And on Saturday, those simple goals were met when dozens of volunteers of all ages gathered for several hours to do just that.
The Spy captured this special community moment so share with our readers.
This video is approximately two minutes in length.
The Cambridge Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.
We continue our series with Dorchester County Council District 3 and 4.
With WHCP’s Kevin Diaz serving as moderator , we welcomed candidates Ricky C. Travers and Grady Wilson, Jr. for District 3, and Lenny Pfeffer for District 4, who is running unopposed.
This video is approximately 55 minutes in length.
Maryland will spend $28 million to study how to improve mobility in the U.S. 50/Route 301 corridor, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. announced on Friday.
The “Tier 2” study will build upon a preliminary review the state concluded earlier this year. That study concluded that the best way to make crossing the Chesapeake Bay easier would be to add a third span near the existing Bay Bridge.
Traffic engineers studied 14 “corridors” that ran the length of the bay before determining that Hogan’s preferred solution — a new crossing east of Annapolis — represented the best approach.
Although Maryland planners have settled on a two-mile wide corridor near the existing spans, Transportation Secretary James F. Ports Jr. stressed that the new study will be open-ended.
The analysis, which is expected to last four years, will look into how many lanes the crossing should be, where it should be built and whether it should be a bridge, a bridge/tunnel or a full tunnel. “We have to look at all these different factors because the federal NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act] process does not allow us to predetermine what it might be,” said Ports, a former federal transportation official.
A new span would require both federal approval and federal funding, he stressed. Since it’s a federal process, state leaders are unable to say when construction might begin.
Hogan (R) said the decision to allocate money for the study represented “a critical next step, which is necessary in order to move forward so that we can make a new Bay crossing a reality in the years to come.”
He pledged the state will seek input from county governments, environmental regulators and the public.
Local leaders complain that residents who live near Routes 50 and 301 are effectively trapped in their neighborhoods when traffic is bad, particularly during beach season. Emergency vehicles frequently encounter backups. Officials say the situation has grown worse due to telework and is expected to deteriorate further as more homes are built on the Eastern Shore.
Anne Arundel County Council member Amanda Fiedler, who represents the Broadneck Peninsula, said the new study “gives us hope that we won’t be tackling stand-still traffic in our communities and local roads for generations to come.”
Fiedler attended Hogan’s press conference, as did Queen Anne’s County Commission president Jim Moran, who has publicly urged Hogan to fund the Tier 2 study. Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) told reporters he was not invited.
Although Hogan has sought a third span, Fiedler and Moran have convinced county officials from around the state to sign on to a different concept — a new span, with eight or more lanes, that would replace the aging spans motorists rely upon.
By Bruce DePuyt
On June 7, 2022 Cambridge Waterfront Development, Inc. (CWDI) presented an updated site plan for Cambridge Harbor, and a project status update to the City of Cambridge Planning Commission.
The updated Cambridge Harbor site plan is the result of the latest round of public comments. CWDI, owner of the Cambridge Harbor site and tasked with its development and management, issued a call for public comment on April 8, 2022. The ensuing 30-day public input period was managed by BCT Design Group (BCT) through an open access website and included an eight-question survey and an anonymous and confidential comments section.
“We wanted people to feel free to express themselves,” says Matt Leonard, CWDI’s Executive Director. “We are very pleased with the responses and the constructive comments provided. Our mission statement commits us, in part, ‘to develop Cambridge Harbor in partnership with the community.’ The public comment period was in service to that commitment.”
In all, 561 people logged on to the survey, reviewed the information, illustrations and images provided about the site plan, and answered the survey questions. Survey question results are as follows:
Beyond the survey questions, CWDI analyzed and grouped the written comments provided by about half of the respondents. CWDI found the most often made suggestions were as follows:
• Long time coming. Get it done.
• Support for the amount of public green space being retained and improved
• Save the two large trees in front of the hospital [English Elms on Byrn Street]
• Need a performance venue, could be outdoor or enclosed
• Mixed feelings about Boat Ramp: If staying then make sure there is adequate parking
• Need connection to downtown: Trolley, Water Taxi, and safer biking/walking over Cambridge Creek
• Mixed-use should be no higher than 3 – 4 stories
• Residential should not be just high-priced condos
• Have different offerings than downtown: include art and culture, unique food options
• Parking must be adequate for residents and visitors
Based on all of the input received, the updated site plan has changed only slightly from the previous site plan, and now appears as follows:
Key components of this update site plan include: Public Greens & Gateways; Greenspace Activation; Champion Elm Tree Park; Performance Venue(s); Boat Ramp & Parking;
Connectivity to the Community; Parcels A1 and A2: Hospitality and Food & Beverage; Parcels B-F: Mixed Use; Maintain Working Waterfront and Maritime Heritage.
Completion of the latest site plan and a separate site branding effort will be incorporated into a Request for Proposal (RFP) to be issued by CWDI this month.
Network Realty Partners (Network) is CWDI’s development consultant guiding CWDI into and through the RFP process.
“These parallel processes of receiving public input on the proposed master plan, determining the final site layout and embarking on the initial planning stages for vertical development, has put Cambridge Harbor on the threshold of real change as we prepare to release the RFP,” says Ed Johnson, Partner with Network. “CWDI and the community have come together well to get the development to this critical point.”
The RFP will be open for 120 days, allowing time for interested investors and developers to propose their best plans. “We’re looking for developers with a proven history of success,” says Matt Leonard. “They have to show that they have the wherewithal to move Cambridge Harbor forward in a timely way and in line with the plans we’ve developed with the community. We’re looking for best partners.”
CWDI will evaluate the proposals received throughout the proposal period and during the final quarter of 2022, during which time demolition of the existing buildings will be accomplished. In early 2023, CWDI will announce the developers with which they are partnering on the various parcels and plans for each.
For more information about Cambridge Harbor, CWDI, or the RFP please contact Matt Leonard at matt.leonard@cwdimd.org
The work session started at 6 pm on Monday, June 6, 2023. All members present except Commissioner Harrington, who attended by phone.
1. The first order of business concerned the formation of a Dorchester Task Force on Gun Safety and Gun Violence Prevention. The idea was presented by Council President, Cephas in which she described a county wide task force with members from the 9 largest municipalities having representatives to discuss ways to reduce gun violence in the County. The City Manager was tasked with finding out if those communities are willing to participate. If so, then the Council will make a formal proposal.
2. The rest of the meeting was lead by the new City Manager, Tom Carroll, who presented an 18 page document outlining 15 major priorities and noting that some things such as the sewer overflows and pumping station still needed more analysis before presenting them to the Council. A short outline of the discussion is as follows:
a. The City will end this fiscal year with a surplus, as it did last year. That money goes into the Unassigned Fund Balance or Rainy Day
fund. That fund will be at approximately $5.2 million, which is way over (twice) the recommended lever by the National Municipal Association. While this was good news, it was noted doing the meeting that the City has not paved any roads in the last 4 years and
the salaries of employees are too low.
b. The City received $6.04 million in ARPA funding in the current budget and has allocated $1.6 million for a fire truck, $340,000 for police bonuses, $500,000 to Non-profits, and $100,000 to fire truck repairs.That leaves $3.5 million yet to be spent. The City will also receive another $6 million in the up-coming budget and the City Managerhad a preliminary plan to allocate those funds.
c. The two biggest issues outstanding in the budget were funding for fixing the sewers along Water St. and Hambrooks Av. which overflow
and dump sewage into the River. The City paid $68,000 in fines last year and more again this year. Included in this discussion was the
Pumping station at Trenton St. which was built 100 years ago and needs an upgrade. Preliminary estimates are around $6 to 7 million and the City Manager wanted to look at ways to finance the projects but did not have the time in the six weeks on the job to get a real handle on the situation.
d. The City Manager recommended using $1.2 million of the ARPA funds to offset shortfalls in the upcoming budgets. He proposed
using $500,000 next year, $400,000 in 23/24 budget and $300,000 in 24/25 budget
e. The City Manager than began a discussion of the General fund which is about $13.3 million. Half of that money goes to fund the Police Dept, $1 million to the Volunteer Fire Dept and the balance to Administration and the Department of Public Works. The major priorities are:
i. 4% wage increases for all employees except the City Manager
ii. $300,000 for increases in employee’s base pay.
iii. Community Oriented Policing – $100,000
iv. Public Works equipment – $500,000
v. Better employee health insurance – $135,000
vi. Cambridge Harbor – $300,000
vii. Additional Non-Profit support – $500,000
viii. Harriet Tubman Mural and Cannery Way Improvements – $200,000
ix. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – $36,000
x. Pandemic Pay – $165,000
xi. Road Resurfacing – $500,000
xii. Technology -$57,231
xiii. Public Facilities Investment – $100,000
xiv. Demolition of condemned houses – $100,000
xv. Cannery Park – $500,000
xvi. Art in Public Places – $18,900
3. There was a lengthy discussion by Council Members who wanted to add to the budget priorities, as follows:
a. Redo City Hall
b. Discussion on impact fees of new communities using City water and sewer
c. $1 million for “land banking”
d. $1 million for affordable housing
e. Fixing up Washington St – slowing traffic down, sidewalks, etc.
f. Bike lanes
g. The Council President wanted a special fund to cover out of pocket expenses for coffee and food at the many meetings she has to attend.
h. $30,000 for this summer’s Mayoral election
i. A very long discussion on the low salaries at DPW
j. The City Manager wanted to get to $250,000 for City wide Technology
k.The Council wants to reduce the lawyers’ fees which are $11,000 per month and go on an as needed basis.
l. The City Manager noted that code enforcement was reduced by one- half of a position.
There will be another meeting on June 21st to discuss the new Special Projects fund, the Sewer Fund, Municipal Utilities and the Marina. With those items discussed, hopefully, the Council will vote on a new budget on June 27, in time to start the new fiscal year. The meeting ended at 9 pm.
Again, thanks to the new City Manager, Tom Carroll and the new Finance Director, Deborah Cooper for all the work they did to get this budget together.
By Charles McFadden
It must be confessed upfront that the Spy only knew about an archaeological dig taking place in Caroline County this Memorial Day weekend because a cousin had emailed this writer from North Carolina that she was on her way to Denton to participate.
It seems like most archaeological fieldwork is well below the radar regarding public awareness. Highly dependent on volunteer labor from people who, like my cousin, are willing to drop everything and travel almost anywhere to look through piles of dirt for three days straight, these crucial historical research projects only succeed through grass-roots networks like the Archeological Society of Maryland, who sponsored the weekend program, who get the word out.
And in the case of the current project in Caroline County, a joint project of Washington College and the Maryland Historical Trust, that unique call to action was a remarkable success. Some fifty volunteers and their families gathered off of Smith Landing Road to help find the original structure of a place called Barwick’s Ordinary.
Beyond the rich archaeological findings that go along with this field session, such as pottery and coins, the aspirational goal is to conclusively document that Barwick’s was not only a popular tavern in the 18th Century but the first government seat for Caroline County. And that’s the reason that the Caroline County Historical Society asked for help to determine the authenticity of the site.
Nothing happens overnight in archaeology, but dig director, Julie Markin, an associate professor of Anthropology at Washington College, is very encouraged so far. With foundational evidence suggesting a building as large as 30 feet by 17 feet, along with samples of dishware and nails from that era, Markin is cautiously optimistic that she and her devoted volunteers may have found the true beginnings of Caroline.
The Spy ran over on Saturday morning to catch up with Julie, her hardworking students, and a large crew of men, women, and children, all of whom were having such great fun playing in the dirt.
This video is approximately four minutes in length. For more information about Washington College please go here. For the Caroline Historical Society please go here. For the Archeological Society of Maryland please go here. For the Maryland Historical Trust please go here.
Commission President Lajan Cephas Convened the Commission in Regular Session at 6:03 pm. in City Council Chambers/ Commissioners Sputty Cephas and Jameson Harrington were also physically present. Commissioner Chad Malkus was present virtually. Commissioner Brian Roche did not attend.
Presentations from the Public
Matt Pluta – ShoreRivers Choptank RiverKeeper. Mr. Pluta thanked the Commission for providing funding for the ShoreRiver bacteria monitoring program. Samples consistent with the EPA standard for swimming are collected once a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. ShoreRivers publishes the results on swimguide.org, WHCP radio, and the Choptank RiverKeeper website at ShoreRivers.org. Results last summer from beaches near Pinks Pond, Great Marsh Park, and Willis Street indicated that these beaches were often not safe for swimming. However, the beach at Sailwinds park was safe about 80% of the time last year. (Sailwinds, Inc. is funding sampling at the Sailwinds beach this summer.) Failure rates are highest at all area beaches for 48 hours after heavy rains. Mr. Pluta is particularly concerned about the connection between sewage overflow events and unsafe swimming conditions. Commissioners thanked ShoreRivers and Mr. Pluta for all they do. The City Manager has been added to the distribution list for test results.
Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. (CWDI) Status Update — Progress and improvements. “Cambridge Harbor” has been chosen as the branding name for the site. Development of branding materials is underway and will soon be made public. A new approach has been developed to move into the finance, design, and organizational phases of the project. The financing phase is now active in developing long term sustainable income. The plan’s mission and site plan continue to include an open public access space adjacent to the river. Public comment on the tentative site plan is currently being analyzed and will be reported very soon. Demolition and clearing of the site will begin in June. Negotiation around proposals will begin thereafter. Board organization will be developed to ensure stability and full appointment, capability, and accountability to include fiduciary responsibility. The Board must reflect the diversity of the community that will be served by the project with Board members selected through a process of shared collaboration. Bylaws changes are being proposed to bring about the proposed Board organization.
Public Hearing
Speaker #1, representing affordable housing groups interested in ensuring safety and security in the community, reported that the number of unwanted visitors parking on Greenwood Avenue remains a serious problem, relative to safety and security of the neighborhood. The speaker endorsed restricted parking on Greenwood Avenue as proposed.
Speaker #2 recently convened a group to discuss safety and security in the neighborhood, including heavy loitering of unwanted individuals. The group recommended restricted permit parking on Greenwood Avenue and endorsed restricted parking on Greenwood Avenue as proposed.
Speaker #3 noted that permit parking has successfully addressed the loitering problems that have occurred in the neighborhoods that she represents. The speaker endorsed restricted parking on Greenwood Avenue as proposed.
Council Action. The Police Chief indicated that the Police Department will enforce the restriction if approved. Commissioner Malkus indicated that enforcement would need to be monitored to evaluate whether stronger enforcement is needed. Commissioner Sputty Cephas indicated that loitering will also need to be monitored. Commissioner Lajan Cephas indicated her support for the proposal. The City Manager suggested that a staff team be put together to implement the permitting process. Ms. Escher noted a similar restriction established for the Long Wharf area.
Old Business
Administrative Updates: Nominations to Commissions
George Brown – Planning and Zoning Commission. Approved unanimously.
A.C. Elrey – Planning and Zoning Commission. Approved unanimously. Robin Sample, Bill Clyde – Previously appointed to Board of Zoning Appeals Katie Day – Previously reappointed to Ethics Committee
New Business
Rails to Trails. Ms. Escher updated the Commission on continued conversations with MDOT staff on the Rails to Trails project extending from Cedar Street to Bucktown Road at the airport. Commissioner Malkus indicated that continued maintenance of the trail be included in its implementation
Meetings
Housing Update. Twenty-five properties have been addressed in the first phase of the Pine Street Redevelopment project. A Pine Street story line is being created to explain how progress has occurred in this project. The HOW program is still being finalized by the State to support home restoration up to $75,000 per home. Eight new homes are going up on Wells Street and another is being rehabilitated.
The Cornish Park contracts have been approved and construction can begin in the fall, to include a much nicer fence. Local artists are being solicited to help design the artwork for the project. A Pine Street Community Meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers on Thursday, May 26 from 5-7 pm to discuss housing, CDBG grants, Cornish Park, etc. June is home ownership month, and a webinar workshop on home ownership will be offered on June 6-8 from 5-8 pm by Telamon Counseling Services (cost =$50 for materials, call 304-263-0916 for information).
Commissioner Sputty Cephas noted that Washington Street remains a problem, and Ms. Robinson noted that the Washington Street are is currently under discussion. Commissioners thanked Ms. Robinson for her report.
Ina Holden – Department of Public Works Update. Ms. Holden presented a detailed report on costs related to garbage collection programs under the Chesapeake Waste contract (in effect until the end of this calendar year) and potential costs if garbage collection is brought back into the City. Ms. Holden noted that municipalities are moving toward once weekly collections, curbside recycling collections, and composting. Cost to be considered in bringing garbage collection back in-house include:
Ms. Holden presented three options for bringing garbage collection back in-house with annual costs ranging between $1,046.701 to $699,127. The recommendation from Ms. Holden and the City Manager was to maintain contracted services under a new Request for Proposals (RFP) soliciting bids for a new contract that gives the City the authority to address any service delivery problems as they occur. The City Manager also recommended that the Commissioners consider transiting to a single weekly collection and consider adding curbside recycling. Commissioners thanked Ms. Holden and the City Manager for their report.
City Manager Comments
Mr. Carroll asked the Council to approve June 21 for the Regular Council Meeting in lieu of the cancellation of the June 13 meeting because of a conflict. Approved Unanimously.
Mr. Carroll recommended that he be permitted to move forward with “True Ballot” for conduct of the City election. Approved Unanimously. Commissioners’ Comments
All Commissioners congratulated Cambridge-South High School graduates. They also noted the wonderful events that took place in the City this weekend.
